The word 小说 (xiǎoshuō, meaning "fiction" or "novel") is formed conceptually through a historical evolution of meaning rather than a simple sum of its parts. It originates from ancient Chinese philosophy, where 说 (shuō) meant "explanation" or "discourse", and 小 (xiǎo) meant "small" or "minor". Initially, it referred to "minor explanations" or "trivial talk", the informal, often fictionalized stories and anecdotes considered insignificant compared to the major classics and philosophical doctrines. Over centuries, especially from the Tang and Song dynasties onward, this term for "minor, informal narratives" was adopted and elevated to formally describe the professional creation of imaginative prose stories, thus crystallizing into its modern meaning for the literary genre of fiction.